//------------------------------// // Epilogue: Continuum // Story: The Operator // by The Legist //------------------------------// Epilogue: Continuum "What are you going to do now?" The words tore through her heart like it was made of tissue paper. It was all her fault. Scootaloo was gone and she was the only one to blame. If only she had listened, if only she had tried harder to understand. "What are we going to do?" Fluttershy again prodded Rainbow. It was a beautiful, new, winter day. The sun was shining bright and the wind was sending wisps of fresh snow curling through the air. The young colts and fillies were rejoicing in the sudden, massive snowfall in the park, not far from the cottage. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy sat silently, curled up in their own thoughts. "It was all my fault, Fluttershy. She did that because of me," the blue pegasus droned. "There's no way we could have known..." came the sobbing response. I should have known. It was my job to know. Hooves draped themselves across Rainbow's shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. She shrugged them off at first but opened up gradually. Fluttershy wasn't going to let go; there was no point in fighting it. The warmth from the hug calmed the pegasus' nerves and helped her to stop shaking. "She flew up to the branch herself. Nopony else was around and..." The embrace loosened. Rainbow heard the sobbing echo once again through the house. Rainbow let her lover’s hooves fall from her shoulder and turned to face the mare behind her. "I couldn't stop her." In the great land of Equestria, there stood a town called Ponyville. Much unlike most Equestrian cities, it was a quaint, charming place full of love and life. On any given day, the air would be filled with laughter and the scent of baked goods and clean air. The streets would be filled with playful foals and their watchful parents. The sun would dance happily among the tops of the branches of both the Everfree Forest and the Whitetail Woods. On most days, it was common to spot neighbors engaging in friendly conversation, exchanging stories of their families. Of their happiness. Walking through the town square would yield sights of goods from all over Equestria, being sold at small stalls by ponies who made the trip with a smile on their faces. Today was different. Today, the town was in mourning of a filly who had supposedly taken her own life. The shops were closed; the streets empty. Instead of the laughter and chatter that normally graced the air, there was only the sound of snowfall. The sound of silence and cold. The barely audible wind, whipping and whirling through the empty streets. The silence of death itself. They say it takes a village to raise a child. If this is true, then one could say this village failed. Such failure was reflected in the eyes of all who knew the victim and even those that didn't. Confusion runs rampant during these times, unanswerable questions spouting endlessly and silently in the minds of those who ask. Why did she leave us? Who drove her to make such a decision? Days had passed since the discovery of the orange filly's body in the forest. The ripple that had been caused by her death echoed throughout the village and beyond. Even the great Princesses, Celestia and Luna, had passed through to offer their sincere condolences. Unnatural death in Equestria is not taken lightly. "There's something they aren't telling us," a small, white unicorn spoke up. For the first time since the tragedy, the Cutie Mark Crusaders met. Unwilling to use the clubhouse anymore, the fillies had moved everything into the barn. Applejack was right. It felt a lot safer. "What's more ta tell? Mah parents disappeared in the Everfree before I even knew ‘em. It's a dangerous place..." The unicorn sighed. "We aren't foals anymore, Applebloom. We have a right to know!" "Ah've heard enough about it. The sun's startin’ ta go down, I reckon you head back now like Rarity said." "Fine, fine... But I'm not going to let this go until I know exactly what happened to Scootaloo." While it was true that Ponyville's Sweet Apple Acres supplied half the world with delicious apples at a fair price, it was not all the town was known for. Far from the hustle and bustle of the town square, in the very northern tip of the town's borders, a massive home stood lonely and all but forgotten against the backdrop of the Whitetail Woods. The Rich Manor. It was here that Filthy Rich constructed and ran his trade empire. From the whipping sand and whispering wind of the great desert city of Mjimkuu, to the Otter kingdoms and beyond, you could bet that you would find a Rich company trader somewhere along the way. While the town of Ponyville mourned, business carried on as usual in the Rich family home. As the head stallion of the house sat at the table and spoke with his affiliates, a door opened and closed silently and small hooves echoed up the stairs behind him. Such is the norm in the Rich family household. Diamond Tiara walked straight to her room and deposited her saddlebags in a neat pile on the floor, making sure to close the door behind her. She used her hoof to straighten a picture of her fractured family, her late mother's smile always brought her a sense of temporary comfort. Followed by a feeling of loneliness that wasn't so temporary. The young mare jumped into bed, the sheets cold beneath her fur. A pale, white light seeped in through the drapes, bathing the room in flat iridescence. School was equally as monotonous and grey that day. It had been, ever since Scootaloo's death. Scootaloo. The name on her tongue tasted sour. The little orphan filly whose parents had left her under a bridge where she undoubtedly belonged. Every day the mare went to school, she was plagued by the orange filly's happiness. How was it that such a low-life had the best friends, the best grades, the best smile. Now she was ruining her day even from the great beyond. Diamond loathed her, even in death. "Serves you right, you filth," she whispered. The filly jumped down from her bed and sorted through her saddlebags, as she does every Wednesday night. Wednesday is homework night. She pulled the bag up to her desk with her mouth, grimacing at the taste. This saddlebag was more than a week old already, time to get a new one. “Let’s see... math, reading, Equestrian studies. They’re all here. What’s still in the bag?” Casting her gaze down to the floor, she could see that her bag still held something. She nosed through it and clamped her teeth down on a soft, leathery texture. It tasted awful. She wrinkled her nose and sneezed. It was also dusty. She hated dust. Picking up the bag by the bottom, she turned the whole thing upside down and out tumbled an old book. The book hit the ground and the binding broke, scattering pages all over the ground. The cover was worn and the pages within were discolored from age. “What the-” As the mare looked at the pages, a strange feeling came upon her. It was like the air itself had become dark and heavy. She had difficulty breathing the tainted air and let out a cough. A shadow passed by her window. Or had it? No, definitely not. Her mind was just playing tricks on her. She picked up the pages one by one in her mouth, being careful not to ruin them. Something about this book seemed special to her, and she thought it would make a good addition to her priceless library. Once the pages had been collected, the young mare took the cover and bindings and set them on her desk. She looked at the strange symbol on the front cover, analyzing it. A circle with two lines through it. Odd. Even more odd was the fact that she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Maybe it was the taste of the pages. They left a metallic taste on her tongue. The room suddenly got darker, as if somepony drew the curtains. Then it was light again. Something was moving past the window. Her stomach clenched and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. There are no trees outside her bedroom window. Slowly, Diamond scooted closer to the window. Every step she took towards the window was accented with a tentative breath. Her heart sped up and sweat begun sticking her coat to her skin. Each hoof forward meant the darkness swelled, the fog in her mind growing. She gripped the curtain and pulled. “Diamond Tiara!” a voice yelled from the door, “how many times have I told you to shut doors after you open them!” She heard the door slam. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think I left it open...” “Well, you did. I am going to leave now; I came to say goodbye.” Filthy’s voice turned from disdain to sadness. “I won’t be seeing you for nearly three weeks.” “Daddy, why do you have to go?” The filly ran to her father and hugged him tightly. “Because I’m a fool and I work too much. I promise we will spend some time together when I get back. Just the two of us!” “You promise?” The stallion nodded. “I love you, Diamond Tiara. Keep the house clean and make sure to ask Mister Barber if you need anything.” “Oh, come on, you asked Barby to stay here with me? You know what happened last time...” “Ah yes, but this time I promise he won’t interfere with you and your friends. You are a big filly now, almost mature enough to look after yourself. I’m so, so proud of you. But, still, three weeks is a long time. I don’t know what I would do if something happened...” the stallion choked, a sour taste in his mouth. “I’ll be fine, daddy. I love you, too.” the young mare hugged him tightly. The embrace seemed to last forever but ended much sooner than she would have liked. He tipped his hat and kissed her forehead before leaving the room, closing the door slowly behind him. Diamond Tiara sat back down at her desk, picked up all the pages in her hooves and shut them in the cover of the book. She placed the cover and bindings on her shelf and looked at the design on the front. At least I’ll have something to do while he’s gone... “Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight scribbled furiously. No doubt her mentor would wish to learn of the coming events in Ponyville. Ever since the filly’s untimely and unnatural death, Twilight had done her best to help the town recover, sending letters almost twice daily to ask for guidance. Being an Element of Harmony also meant that she had to be strong for when others needed her advice, so she naturally turned to the wisdom of her loving mentor. “Dear Princess Celestia...” Twilight groaned. Nearly a week had passed since the discovery of the body and the librarian had written everything her mind can think of. The first few letters had been frantic but informative. Long, tear stained letters requesting her guidance in a time of absolute need. In the five days that passed, the letters were all she could do to bypass the sorrow and regret. If only she had stepped in to help the filly. If only she had known. Now, of course it was too late to help anyone. Five long days and nopony had come to the library to check out a book. Deeming a third reorganization of the library unnecessary, Twilight settled on writing the princess a letter. But what to write about? “Spike! Can you help me with this letter to the princess?” There was a knock at the door. “Ugh... Now? Of all times?” The mare hopped up from her desk and put on her best fake smile. She opened the door to an unfamiliar, cloaked figure. “Hello? Sorry, who are you?” “Greetings, dear, do you not see? Standing on your porch is me!” Zecora lifted her hood and smiled. “I come in this moment's reprieve, to ask you, why does this town grieve?” Recognizing her at last the librarian stepped to the side, “Oh Zecora, please come in. There’s been... an accident.” “An accident it certainly was not. Past tales, present and future naught.” the zebra stood, still looking directly into the lavender mare’s eyes. “Excuse me?” Twilight squinted. “I’m afraid I must not stay long. But I must correct you all, for you are wrong.” Her mouth slacked, Twilight stared in disbelief. “I don’t know how you deal with suicide where you come from, but you should be a little more sensitive around here!” “I know you deal with the magic arts, purple pony. But my gift of sight is not a phony.” Zecora stood up and paced about the room. “Some things in this world are not meant to be understood, some things you lock up because you should.” The mare took a deep breath before continuing, “several moons have passed since I lost an object. When I learned of young Scootaloo’s fate, I’m afraid she is my suspect.” “You think she stole from you?” Twilight’s mouth formed a snarl. “Understand, you do not, of the power and darkness she has wrought. Tell the one who has the book, to shut it forever and not to look. Secrets from another world, should never ever be unfurled.” The mysterious mare bowed her head slightly and then turned around. The unicorn sighed and shut her door with a slam. She watched the zebra until she fell out of sight. How cryptic that one is, and the rhymes don’t help. “Is everything okay, Twi? Who was that?” Spike’s voice drifted down the stairs. “Oh, it was just Zecora. She needed to tell me something...” “Do you still need help with that letter?” “No, I know exactly what I’m going to write about.”